Rockport RCIA program renewing lives

A simple question from her six-year-old son helped inspire Anne Vaughan to rekindle her relationship in the Catholic Church.

“He’s a student at Sacred Heart School, and I was attending a Mass during school one day,’” she recalled. “He asked me why I didn’t go up to receive communion.” She explained to him that she considers herself Catholic but had never been baptized in the Church. “We talked about it a bit, and he told me he wanted to be baptized. So, we eventually decided to do our sacraments together.”

A single mother, Vaughan, was born and raised in Rockport. She also attended Sacred Heart School as a child, and although her faith wasn’t nurtured at home, it never left her heart. Another turning point was when she accepted a friend’s invitation to an ACTS Retreat.

“I was hesitant to go because I didn’t know what to expect, and I don’t like to let my guard down. Then my friend said I was given a scholarship to attend the retreat, so I didn’t really have a good excuse not to go,” she chuckled.

Vaughan said the retreat was an eye-opening experience and one that solidified her decision to make the final steps to become a Catholic “officially.” Attending the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) classes at her parish, Sacred Heart in Rockport, was the next logical step.

Every year in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, hundreds of people are welcomed into the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil Mass. The RCIA program begins with a Period of Evangelization, which includes building a relationship with Jesus Christ and starting an open dialogue with a parish priest or religious education team member.

The program progresses into nearly a yearlong program of weekly classes where catechumens learn more about the Catholic faith in structured lectures.

“It was at the ACTS Retreat where I finally decided to let go of the anger from my past, stop blaming others and let God into my life completely,” she said. “I spoke to Father Ray, and he mentioned RCIA classes had just started, but it wasn’t too late to join. Everything fell into place perfectly.”

Lanaia Janette Watkins

Fellow RCIA catechumen Lanaia Janette Watkins was raised a Baptist, but her mother and grandmother were both Catholic. Born and raised in Fort Worth, she moved to Rockport 15 years ago to be with her dying father and loved the area so much that she decided to stay. But the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey was another turning point in her life.

“We were all searching for some hope. I think we were all depressed in Rockport,” she said. “I’ve learned so much about the Catholic faith during my classes, and Sister Jude is amazing. Learning about the Eucharist has brought me closer to God. It has been overwhelming at times.”

Watkins said her grandmother played a significant role in her decision to become a Catholic.

“She was an amazing person, and I remember going to church with her when I was little. She inspired me by the way she treated people and was my biggest inspiration to become a Catholic,” she said. “I know she’s smiling down on me now from heaven.”

Patrick Allen Murphy, Jr. moved to Rockport many years ago from California. He left after Hurricane Harvey but came back to help out with relief efforts and ended up staying once again.

“I’ve actually been interested in becoming a Catholic since I was 14 years old when I first saw the movie “Sister Act.” I was enthralled with the message of the movie: it’s a story of repentance and penance. But I just wasn’t able to finish the classes,” he explained.

Fast forward to his living in Rockport, when Murphy said he talked with Sister Jude about attending RCIA classes about three years ago, just before the hurricane. After he returned, he signed up right away.

“The Holy Spirit has filled my life so much and the communion of saints has been such a beautiful thing to experience. People would ask me how my faith formation is going, and I had to tell them, it’s a feeling like no other,” he said.

Patrick Allen Murphy, Jr.

Murphy said he values the structure of the RCIA program and feels like it is integral to the program’s success.

Classes begin in September during the season of Advent and end a few months after Lent and Easter. “They couldn’t have picked a better time to start and end the classes,” he said.

According to Murphy, the spirituality of the Catholic Church is unmatched by other faiths he has experienced.

“During the priest’s homily, he is evangelizing on behalf of Jesus, with the authority Jesus had. I sometimes feel like the priest is looking right at me, telling me something I needed to hear that day. The readings would coincide with feelings or problems I was having,” he said. “I feel this synchronicity between my life and the Word of God I’ve never felt before. I say with absolute certainly: this is the Church that Jesus founded.”